OK, I admit it. I watched the Dancing with the Stars opener the other night. I haven’t watched it in ages (I’m more a So You Think You Can Dance gal) but I have to admit it was pretty fun! Which reminded me of these photos I stumbled upon a while back. Looooong before tans, bedazzled bodysuits and feathered head pieces were a glimmer in Bruno and Carrie Ann Inanba’s eyes, there was Arthur Murray. Arthur Murray’s famous chain of dance studios were all the rage back in the 1950s. The country was really embracing “exotic cultures” and Latin influenced music extremely popular. Everyone was dying to learn how to cha cha or mambo and that, of course, meant DANCE CLASSES baby!
Check out these amazing photos from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio from 1958-1962. “A beguiling mixture of awkwardness and grace.” Oh yes!
Images: Square America
My mom taught at Aurthur Murray during the era these were taken! Actually, she started as a student when her mom encouraged to take lessons to help her be less painfully shy and before long she was teaching! I grew up doing so many of those ballroom dances and they still hold such a special place in my heart.